Cromwell Grand List rises by more than 1 percent

Published 12:00 am, Monday, January 25, 2010

CROMWELL -- A beacon of hope is shining through the grim economic news -- at least in Cromwell.

The Grand List, the compilation of taxable goods and services in town, rose in 2009 by a surprising 1.23 percent, according to data compiled by Tax Assessor Shawna O'Neil.

"Any increase is welcome," O'Neil said Friday. "But the town of Cromwell is very fortunate to have had such a large increase, especially in this economy."

The Grand List measures the growth -- if any -- in three categories: real estate, motor vehicle and personal property.

At least part of the increase is due to one new business coming to town: Lowe's home-improvement store, which opened last fall on Route 372, the Berlin Road.

"Lowe's is one of the biggest reasons why the Grand List went up," O'Neil said.

The site and the building itself are owned by Main Street Equity, which makes its first appearance this year on the list of top 10 taxpayers. Main Street appears on the list as the fourth highest taxpayer, according to information provided by Deputy Assessor Donna Otlowski.

The property is assessed at $5.763 million, and the personal property -- the shelves and fixtures inside the store -- are assessed at $1.510 million, O'Neil said.

All three components of the Grand List showed growth in 2009, O'Neil said.

Real estate valuations were up by .93 percent, personal property by a vigorous 6.09 percent and motor vehicle by 1.56 percent, O'Neil said.

That last number in particular caught her eye, O'Neil said.

"Last year, it was down .09 percent," she said. "To see an increase in motor vehicle is very surprising."

"It is encouraging," First Selectman John M. Flanders said Friday after reviewing the data.

"But it is cautiously encouraging," he continued, "because we have more-than-adequate things to balance that growth off."

Those things include a range of expenses, Flanders explained. "We have to make up for energy costs, employee benefits and pension costs."

"We're still in a really bad situation," Flanders said. "It's good to get this positive news, but the fact is we're going to have to do more with less."

O'Neil said the success her office has enjoyed is due to the contributions of Otlowski and the recently-hired assessor technician, Lisa Ruggiero.

"I owe it all to my staff," O'Neil said; "they're great."

"We work hard for the town of Cromwell through the guidance of the assessor," Otlowski said.